Why Kids Need More Freedom

Parenting Psychologist Peter Gray discusses why kids need more unstructured play, how schools are fueling childhood anxiety, and why smartphones aren’t to blame. | 9.16.2026 11:00 AM Today's guest is Boston College psychologist Peter Gray, whose new book is Restoring Childhood: How To Set Kids Free in the Age of Anxiety. Gray, who co-founded the free-range parenting advocacy group Let Grow with Reason contributor Lenore Skenazy and The Anxious Generation author Jonathan Haidt, argues that rising rates of anxiety, depression, and mental health issues among younger Americans are not a response to phone-based childhoods but primarily an outcome of K-12 curricular changes tied to No Child Left Behind legislation. Gray tells Nick Gillespie why kids need more autonomy and unstructured play, why he thinks the internet and online gaming often provide helpful spaces for children, and why he thinks attempts to legally restrict internet access are more the result of moral panic than sound social science. Previous appearance: "Are Kids Depressed Because They Just Don't Play Anymore?" April 25, 2017 0:00—What is the thesis of Restoring Childhood? 6:53—How childhood got taken over by adults 17:23—Parents and micromanagement 23:22—Youth anxiety trends and suicide statistics 34:41—Sociological changes in post-war America 41:57—Jonathan Haidt and smartphones 49:05—How Common Core changed schooling 58:16—Sweden, the U.K., and South Korea 1:02:17—The impact of social media 1:08:49—How schools can restore childhood 1:14:35—How parents can restore childhood Upcoming Reason Events The World Premiere of Escaping Venezuela on October 13 NEXT: Is AI Really an Existential Threat? ParentingChildrenFree-Range KidsCommon CorePhonesSocial MediaEducationJonathan Haidt